Bollywood Poll: Who’s the sexiest?

By Hindustan Times

They may say that polls and awards mean nothing to them, but actors Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif can’t stop beaming after being named the sexiest people alive in a Youth Survey done by Hindustan Times. The poll was conducted among 10,000 people in the age-group of 18-25, across 18 Indian cities.

Katrina, who got 27.9% of the vote share, beat off competition from actors Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and even Hollywood star Angelina Jolie. Salman won his title with 26.3% votes, closely followed by actor Hrithik Roshan.

Talking to HT City after the poll results were announced, Kat seemed visibly excited. “I’m thrilled that HT readers have chosen me for this title. It’s all the more important because people who voted for me are from the younger generation, and this shows that I’ve been able to have a crucial connect with the youth,” she says. Kat believes that being labelled ‘sexy’ is not entirely related to physical beauty. “It has to do with one's overall personality and body of work. Of course, no one minds being called beautiful and sexy.”

The actor smiles when told that her ex-boyfriend Salman Khan has been voted the sexiest man alive. “I’ve been asked so much about Salman that I don’t know what to say.” Her vote for the sexiest person alive? “Penelope Cruz, definitely.”

Though Sallu says he doesn’t believe in opinion polls, his close friends are thrilled. “It is awesome that people have voted Salman the sexiest. I think he completely deserves it,” says his sister-in-law, actor Malaika Arora Khan. “Salman has mass appeal because of his attitude. He is what he is and doesn't don a mask,” says his Veer co-star Zarine Khan.

“I’d attribute that to Salman’s nature. People love him for the person he is. He’s easily the most grounded star in the industry,” says actor Dia Mirza.

Interestingly, Salman topped the poll in most cities, except in south India. Actor Hrithik Roshan stole the show in Bangalore, Chennai and Kochi. Similarly, among women, it’s actor Priyanka Chopra who scored the highest in the southern cities. In Hyderabad, Bipasha Basu got as many votes as Priyanka. Interestingly, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi was voted in at number 2 in Delhi. Clearly, the Capital loves its young politicians.

Katrina Kaif, 26
Debut: Boom (2003)
Hits: 12
Flops: 5
Charges: Rs 4-5 crore per film
Endorsement value: Rs 2.5 crore per brand
Total brands endorsed: 10 brands including Veet, Slice Aamsutra, Lux, Nakshatra and Etihad Airways
Love life: Katrina was dating Salman for five years. She is currently rumoured to be dating Ranbir Kapoor
Contemporaries: Deepika Padukone and Sonam Kapoor
Biggest controversy: A lot of questions have been raised about her nationality and age